Saturday, January 3, 2009

"I wanted to let you know it's time to turn things up at The Record Ranch. As of today, we're doing 3 months totally free for sellers (including final value fees). In addition to that, we'll be fine-tuning the search a bit in the next couple of weeks."

What we offer:

Sellers•Free listings and stores! Three free images per listing too. You only pay final value fees and any listing extras.•Options! No stringent requirements on shipping and payment methods.•A bulk uploader to save you time. Just export your current inventory to a CSV file, then use our uploader to get your stock into The Record Ranch.•An extensive category structure geared more towards serious fans/collectors.•Completed auctions that stay on the site for a looong time.

Buyers•The Record Ranch is strictly music-related and actively moderated. Find exactly what you're looking for then buy with confidence!•Categories that match what you collect. Collect free jazz vinyl? There's a category for that. Collect blues 8-tracks? There's a category for that too.•Auctions at The Record Ranch are snipe-proof. If a bid is placed in the last minute, the auction's ending time is extended. •Not finding what you're looking for? Post what you're looking for on The Want List.•Prefer to pay by a method other than PayPal? Go right ahead!

Prince is planning to release three new albums in 2009 without the assistance of a record label, according to an interview with the Los Angeles Times. A "major retailer" is in talks with the artist to release the music physically, while a new Prince Web site will sell it in digital form.

One album is a return to the artist's classic sound. The tentatively titled MPLSOUND was recorded at his Paisley Park studio and is an "electro-flavored solo effort" that includes a lot of experimenting with effects using Pro Tools.

The second is tied with the tracks premiered a couple of weeks ago on an L.A. radio station. Lotus Flower features Prince the guitarist with a great variety of styles from hard rock to funk.

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Robert Plant Voted Greatest Voice in Rock

Britain's Daily Mail has published the results of a poll organized by the digital radio station Planet Rock to determine the Greatest Voices in Rock. Voting was done by the station DJ's & listeners along with musicians, critics and other experts.

Leading the way is Robert Plant followed by Freddie Mercury and Paul Rodgers. As might be expected when the poll is performed by a classic rock station with input from the public, the list leans heavily towards classic rock artists-to the detriment of some of the early great voices of the rock era.

Official Cover of Kelly Clarkson's Single 'My Life Would Suck Without You'

Kelly Clarkson has released a cover art for her upcoming brand new song entitled "My Life Would Suck Without You". She is pictured wearing red dress and holding a red heart-shaped lollipop in her left hand.

Kelly Clarkson plans to release "My Life Would Suck Without You" on January 19. After dropping the Max Martin and Dr. Luke-penned track, she will follow up her 2007 record "My December" with fourth major studio effort.

The yet-titled album takes nearly a year to come after her previous album because recording sessions for the LP were abandoned as she went on "2 Worlds 2 Voices Tour" with Reba McEntire, according to E! Online. Now that the roadshow has been wrapped up, she rushes to get the album done and will drop it on March 17.

Hawkwind will celebrate the 40th anniversary of their very first show on Saturday August 29 at the Porchester Halls in London's Notting Hill Gate. They played another Notting Hill Venue on August 29, 1969 to kick off their career.

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Status Quo - UK's Hardest Working Band

Britain's Performing Rights Society (PRS) have declared Status Quo as the hardest working band in the U.K. for 2008, outdistancing Take That, the Kaiser Chiefs, the Sugarbabes and the Spice Girls. In 35 performance, they performed before over 300,000 people.

For smaller concert venues, Gerry & the Pacemakers took the award by playing the most shows in 2008. David Essex was second.

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Allman Brothers Return

The Allman Brothers, who have been playing a residency at the Beacon Theater in New York almost every year since 1989 (175 dates so far), have announced they will be returning to the venue after skipping 2008. Last year's shows were canceled while Gregg Allman recovered from Hepatitis C.

The shows will kick-off their 2009 touring season in celebration of the 40th anniversary of the band. The current lineup includes Gregg Allman on vocals and keyboards, Butch Trucks, Mark Quinones and Jaimoe on drums and other percussion, Warren Haynes on vocals, lead and slide guitar, Derek Trucks on lead and slide guitar, and Oteil Burbridge on bass.

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The Grateful Dead Returning To The Road

Spurred on by two reunions at benefits for President-elect Barack Obama, the surviving members of the Grateful Dead will embark on their first tour in five years this spring.

The Dead will hit the road beginning April 12 in Greensboro, N.C., and will play 16"evening with" shows in 19 cities through May 10 in San Francisco. Tickets begin going on sale Jan. 13.

Back on May 25, 1991, Nielsen SoundScan started compiling actual sales figures for recordings sold in the U.S. for reporting to the industry and trade publications. Prior to that time, sales figures were established through inaccurate means, but Nielsen was able to set up an electronic network in major retailers that gave them actual data on a daily basis.

For year-end 2008, SoundScan has issued a list of the top selling artists of the "SoundScan Era", from May 25, 1991 to December 28, 2008. The top selling artist in the U.S. is Garth Brooks with over 68 million units sold, but it's the Beatles that come in second with just over 57 million units. That's pretty amazing for a group whose recording career ended in twenty years before the SoundScan Era even began.

Metallica is also on the verge of having the biggest selling album of the era, with their "Black Album" just a little over 150,000 units behind Shania Twain's Come On Over.

Well, here we are one year later and I have seen all sorts of articles about the resurgence of the vinyl record. Let's look at the facts:

In 2008, sales of vinyl albums increased a remarkable 89 percent. Vinyl still accounts for a tiny portion of the overall market but total vinyl sales are higher than they’ve been since SoundScan began tracking music sales in 1991.

The previous record was in 2000, when 1.5 million LP albums were sold. More than two out of every three vinyl albums bought in 2008 were purchased at an independent music store, according to SoundScan. Vinyl record sales rose 14% between 2006 and 2007, from 858,000 to 990,000. In contrast, CD sales plummeted over the past three years, from 553.4 million in 2006 to 360.6 million in 2008. MP3 sales grew from 32.6 million to 65.8 million during the same time period, according to SoundScan.

Industry observers say vinyl record sales have skyrocketed because new buyers are discovering the value of owning albums, with their cover art, large liner notes and warm sound. Artists such as Madonna, U2 and R.E.M. have opted to release their latest albums in the vinyl format as well.

The top selling vinyl album in 2008 was Radiohead's In Rainbows, followed by the Beatles' Abbey Road, at 16,500 units. (side note: the Beatles placing second- didn't this band break up some 38 years (or more depending on who you ask), this is amazing and just shows what a truly legendary rock and roll group that they are and will be, way after we are all gone)

There is even quite a discussion going on at digg (digg discussion) with people raving about this phenomenon. Let's all hope it continues as vinyl continues its revival for years to come!!